Trailer Storyboard

This is my storyboard for my trailer. This is an idea so that I have a plan of what shot I could include in my trailer. It's likely I won't use all of the shots I have put, however this does give me a foundation to start doing filming for my trailer.

Prop 2: Missing Poster

The prop of the missing poster will be used very early on in my trailer. This will be used to establish narrative and characters. Additionally, it could also establish genre, since missing posters often appear in Crime Thrillers.

Protagonist's Costume

This is my main protagonists costume. All costume items were similar to the ones I wanted and since I am on a budget, I want the costume to look good but inexpensive.

Target Audience

To decide upon a target audience for my film trailer, I did some research on a few Crime Thriller films. On IMDb, the age rating of the film is just underneath the title of the film on the films page. One of the movies I looked at was 15, and the other two were rated R.

The UK Equivalent to an R rating is 15 - as both Prisoners and Homefront were rated 15 in the UK, as shown on the Cineworld website.

Based upon this information, I have decided to make my film trailer rated 15 too. All three films include violence and strong language, and as violence will be included in my film, a 15 rating is appropriate.

Character names and description

Katherine Richmond (Kat or Kate for short):
Main protagonist in the trailer. Red hair, small-medium height. Very close relationship with her missing sister, making her determined and desperate to get her back. These traits mixed with her vulnerability make it so she will go to any means to get her sister back safe and well- so when she receives the call that her sister is being held hostage, she doesn't hesitate to do what the person on the phone says. She's brave and despite the impression that she's naive and desperate, she's quite cunning and smart.

*Important character in the trailer. She will be in a majority of the scenes.



Jessica Richmond:
Kat's 15-year-old little sister. Has dark blonde hair and is quite small in height. She's got a very close relationship with her sister, hence her sister's desperate determination to get her back.


*Does not appear within the trailer, other than on the missing posters (where some of this information is given).



Unnamed Antagonist:
The person holding Kat's sister hostage. Not much information is given on this character, as this entices the audience to find out who this person is and why they've kidnapped Kat's sister. There is an inclination that this character may know Kat personally, as they have confidence in her doing the 'jobs' that they require she do for her to get her sister back, and gives her the nickname 'Kitty Kat'.

*This character doesn't physically appear within the trailer other than his hand, but does speak on the phone. Having the mystery on who this character is will be key in intriguing my target audience.

Scene Idea: Phone Call

I had the idea of a scene in which the main protagonist is asleep on the sofa. Then, the phone rings causing her to wake up and rush over to it in hope that it's her sister. When she answers, no-one speaks for a moment, then someone speaks and says "Kitty Kat, Kitty Kat, what will you do to get your sister back?".

This scene will establish the narratives disequilibrium. The effect of it will increase the trailers tension, grab the interest of the audience and also allow the films narrative to make sense.

Actor 3: Antagonist

For my Antagonist, the actor can be anyone as their face will never be seen in the trailer. This creates suspicion and will get the audience interested in finding out who it is that has taken the protagonists sister. However, the Antagonist will need to wear a wedding ring as this plays a key part to the narrative of my film and also make the audience question why we see a wedding ring in the trailer. Also, their voice will be heard and I wanted them to have quite a distinct voice.

I chose my dad to play this part as his voice is really quite distinct and he's already got a wedding ring, which means it isn't required for me to try and get a ring as we have one to use. If I had a teenage boy play this role, it wouldn't be as believable as their voice wouldn't have sounded as mature.

Costume Idea - Protagonist

I want my protagonist to wear a warm coat, something like the image above. The protagonist will be looking for her sister in the first part of the trailer until she finds out she's been kidnapped, then she'll be taking orders from her sisters kidnappers- meaning committing crimes. Criminals tend to wear dark clothes to remain stealthy and low profile.

Jeans are casual and often worn by the protagonist in any genre of film. For my protagonist, really tight jeans would probably be impractical if she's constantly on the move and in damp weather they would restrict her movement, however fitted jeans would look better and allow for more movement.

Doc Martens will be really practical for my character as they are comfortable and wear well in any location. Since my character would be searching for her sister at the start of the trailer, these would be suitable footwear for her.

Results of vote

The results from my tally resulted in 17 Crimes being the most popular title for my film, so I have decided upon this for my film trailer. 

Title vote

I asked 15 people from my target audience (15+) to select which title they preferred for my film trailer as having opinions from other people would allow me to understand what would attract my target audience to my film trailer. 

Title Ideas

Prop: Gun altered

I wrapped black tape around the grip and the muzzle of the gun to make it look realistic and give it a more serious look

Prop 1: Gun

I bought a toy gun as a prop in the trailer as I'm thinking about a scene/shot with my protagonist aiming the gun at someone. 

I'm going to cover the orange parts of the gun with black paint or black tape as I think the colour doesn't make the gun seem serious. 

Location Shot 2

Another location was outside a police station. I was thinking of using this as an establishing shot and using non-synchronous dialogue between an officer and my protagonist while the shot is on to show that the protagonist is there.

An alternative idea could be a mid-shot/close-up of my protagonist thinking about whether she should go to the police after the main disequilibrium of the trailer occurs.

This shot will reinforce the genre of my film, as police are almost always involved in a Crime Thriller, even if they aren't the main protagonists.

Location Shot 1

I decided upon this area for a part of my trailer. I want to put up a 'Missing Girl' poster on the post as this aids in telling my audience what the films about without telling the whole story. 

I may also use this area for other scenes later in the trailer if I have an idea. 

Filming Practice: Tracking

Filming Practice: Reverse Zoom

Filming Practice: Zoom

Filming Practice: Panning

Actor 2: Protagonists Sister

I chose Charlotte's sister Emily as the missing sister as she is how I pictured the sister to look. Also, since they are actually siblings, the relationship will be believable and realistic which is what I would like my target audience to think about my film trailer.

Actor 1: Main Protagonist

I chose Charlotte as my main protagonist as she is how I pictured my protagonist to look and she has acting experience, making her a perfect selection. Also, I would like her sister to be the sister in my trailer that gets kidnapped. Since they are actually siblings, the relationship will be believable and realistic which is what I would like my target audience to think about my film trailer.

Plot Choice

My plot for my film trailer:

"The protagonists sister goes missing, so a search commences to find her. However, the protagonist gets an unknown call (or text) which says that their sister is being held captive. The protagonist must do exactly what they say so that no harm will come to her."

I asked a few people which of the plots they preferred and they decided upon this plot. Getting their feedback on the plot is key in making sure I know what narrative appeals better to my audience. I like this idea since it's simple, yet as a film could have many different twists, which would allow me to be creative with the trailer without giving too much of the story away. Finally, this idea is practical so getting hold of any items needed shouldn't be too difficult.